World Class Sports Medicine

"We are excited about developing a cohesive program throughout the valley not only to care for the headline team sports in the area, but also to provide that same care to our local recreational athletes as well."
-Patrick St. Pierre, MD

Under the direction of Orthopedic Surgeon Patrick St. Pierre, MD, the Eisenhower Desert Orthopedic Center Sports Medicine Program is a comprehensive sports medicine program to serve the athletic needs of the community. “We are excited about developing a cohesive program throughout the valley not only to care for the headline team sports in the area, but also to provide that same care to our local recreational athletes as well,” say Dr. St. Pierre.

Sports medicine specialists not only care for sports teams, but also tend to the special needs of athletes of all ages. Primary care specialists are experts on the athlete’s medical conditions, and orthopedic specialists focus on joint injuries and minimally invasive techniques using arthroscopy to treat them. They all work together to rehabilitate the athlete to return not only back to health, but also to their sport.

Dr. St. Pierre is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and completed his Sports Medicine fellowship at West Point in 1995. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Arthroscopy Association of North America and The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. Dr. St. Pierre has been recognized with several international and national Sports Medicine awards including the prestigious 2004 Hughston Sports Medicine Award and the 2002 O’Donoghue Sports Injury Research Award.

Joining Dr. St. Pierre as the Primary Care Director for the program is Eisenhower Medical Center’s Stephen Steele, DO. Dr. Steele is a fellowshiptrained primary care sports medicine specialist who has served the community for more than fifteen years. He has served as primary care team physician for College of the Desert and is team physician for Shadow Hills High School. Dr. Steele is a Past- President of the Eisenhower Medical Staff and has provided sports coverage for the Bob Hope Classic and the Kraft Nabisco Championship for many years.

“We hope to improve communication and education among not only the doctors, but also the athletic trainers and support staff for all of these teams and events”

—Stephen Steele, DO

Completing the team of fellowshiptrained Sports Medicine specialists is the newest addition to Eisenhower, Orthopedic Surgeon Matthew Diltz, MD. A University of Southern California graduate, Dr. Diltz did his Orthopedic residency at the University of California, Irvine, and has just completed his Sports Medicine fellowship in Boston. He has extensive experience in hip arthroscopy and pediatric sports medicine. According to Dr. St. Pierre, “Dr. Diltz brings more expertise on pre-arthritic conditions and injuries to the hip and hip arthroscopy than anyone else in the valley. He will be a great asset to the program and the community.”

The Eisenhower Desert Orthopedic Center Sports Medicine Program will provide coverage to many of the local schools and sporting events in the area. Drs. St. Pierre and Steele are both team physicians for College of the Desert. Dr. St. Pierre is also the team physician for Palm Desert High School, and Dr. Steele is the team physician for Shadow Hills High School. Dr. Diltz is the team physician for both Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs High Schools. Additionally, they provide coverage for the Bob Hope Classic and Kraft Nabisco Championship golf tournaments as well as Palm Springs Power Baseball and Palm Springs Chill Baseball.

Rounding out the program are Eisenhower Medical Center orthopedic surgeons who also provide coverage for local high schools. James Bell, MD serves as team physician for Palm Springs High School, Rufus Gore, MD, for Indio High School, and David Friscia, MD and Stephen O’Connell, MD for Xavier College Preparatory High School.

“One of the goals of the program is to promote collaboration and communication between all of these providers to share expertise and get the best care for each of the athletes,” says Dr. Steele. “We hope to improve communication and education among not only the doctors, but also the athletic trainers and support staff for all of these teams and events.” “